In certain situations less is more! Especially for listening to the lower bands in this crazy unpredictable solar cycle, I’m accustomed to building my own antennas. Thicker copper wire is usually the standard, but over the years I’ve learned that thinner gauge wire will hold out sufficiently. It’s all in the packaging. Here are a […]

Waterproof products are very useful, but we sometimes forget the list that’s available. Water repellency is what we’re after, on the car, in the back yard, camping gear, marine, electronics, amateur radio gear, etc. Let’s finish the project with style. Top Waterproof Products 1. Scotch Electrical Tape Super 33+ Vinyl — The tape’s pressure-sensitive, rubber-resin […]

The low radiation angle for the Sirio Antenna Sirio GPE 27 5/8 is excellent for DX. The Sirio GPE 27 5/8 Antenna is designed for the 10m & 11m in frequency range. It’s omnidirectional and tunable by acting on the whip length, plus low radiation angle for excellent DX. The coil is protected by a […]

Signal Carrier In AM and FM Amplitude is defined as the distance between the tip crest of the wave to the rest position of the wave. With Amplitude modulation, the amplitude of the carrier wave varies, while the frequency remains constant. Frequency modulation is the encoding of information in a carrier wave by varying the […]

Today: Jan. 5, 2017 Yesterday: ISS Radio Report Wed, 2017 – 01 – 04 12:39 Twitter link: ISS Fan Club It was the first Wednesday in the month of January. The year of 2017 ushered in some very pleasant weather for much of the United States, just as Quebec and Vancouver in Canada had been […]

The slot antenna can be made out of any metal surface or plate, with the length of the slot being cut out by a frequency determined in advance. It can be designed and constructed using a discarded TV dish reflector. Believe me when I tell you that it works. In essence, what you have is […]

Yes, one could spend several hundred dollars for the optimum beams, which might extend 100 feet into the horizon. Or, one could expand the idea of a very cheap 26-inch bicycle rim. Admit it, we’ve heard about tuning a bicycle rim and using it. It will definitely go on 10 meters! SWR Antenna Analyzer is […]

RF Coax Adapter F Female To UHF Male PL-259 Connector From RG8X Coax To RG6 Coax. What is needed is this: RF coaxial coax adapter F female to UHF male PL-259 connector. Sometimes I will use an outside antenna that is not designed for this purpose, and feed it to my police radio scanner or […]

International Morse Code 1. The length of a dot is one unit. 2. A dash is three units. 3. The space between parts of the same letter is one unit. 4. The space between letters is three units. 5. The space between words is seven units. 6. Di is for dot and dah is for […]

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Navigate the Night Sky like Galileo ➸

Celestron 21024 FirstScope Telescope --- In 1609, the world-renowned Italian scientist Galileo Galilei discovered celestial wonders hidden in the night sky through his invention of an elementary telescope. ► This simple Newtonian reflector telescope on a rotating tabletop stand makes it easy to view the night sky. To navigate, move the tube in the direction of the object you wish to view, then observe it through the eyepiece. Add the optional FirstScope Accessory Kit and you’ll receive an optical finderscope that makes it even easier to locate objects.

Popular Squids ➸

1. Roku Remote Won’t Work ... On The Squid ► My new Roku media player arrived in the mail and I was in a state of bliss. Finally, another electronic gadget to render the man cave complete. You know the routine. Unbox. Never read instructions. High expectations. No patience. Internet TV not happening this time. Ouch. Roku remote control won’t work I guess. Now I need anger management! Somebody please help me!

2. HDMI To RCA Composite Enables Users To Stream With Old TVs ... On The Squid ► If you’re wanting to stream content with a device such as Apple TV for example, but you do not have a flat screen TV, there’s a gadget that you might be interested in. The HDMI to RCA composite enables users to stream with the old style television. Yes, Apple fans can watch Apple TV with that old TV. Chromecast is another viable choice.

3. Roku Purple Light Keeps Blinking ... On The Squid ► The Roku set top box updates itself often. Not long after a reset I noticed one of the Roku boxes was doing something rather odd. The purple light continued to blink and it wouldn’t stop. The Roku unit worked great, but the purple light kept blinking. The light should not be blinking all of the time.

4. The NooElec Dongle Is Too Much Fun! ... On The Squid ► For around $20, the NooElec Dongle is way too much fun! It’s not for everybody, but for the tech that doesn’t mind spending a little time with it, the benefits pay off.

6. How To Program Baofeng UV5R ... On The Squid ► New out of the box—one must learn to program your Baofeng UV-5R radio. This guide is useful especially for newbies. I’m mostly interested in programming simplex type applications, along with local emergency frequencies.

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Cheaper Wire For Ham Antenna Projects ... On The Squid ► Especially for listening to the lower bands in this crazy unpredictable solar cycle, I’m accustomed to building my own antennas. Thicker copper wire is usually the standard, but over the years I’ve learned that thinner gauge wire will hold out sufficiently. It’s all in the packaging. Here are a few scattered ideas.

8. Live Police Scanner Feeds On Your Computer ... On The Squid ► Want to listen to live streaming radio transmissions of police, fire, and EMS in your area? Do you own a computer with internet access? If so, you now have a police scanner. Listen to live audio online in the United States.

9. Kenwood 590 EQ Settings ... On The Squid ► The Kenwood TS-590S EQ settings will give the user optimum TX audio if properly configured. This transceiver is hard to beat for the money. Some will use the default mode, while others take the benefit of the ARCP-590 software. Follow this and you will have sparkle and articulation.

10. The Guide to Setting Up Google Chromecast ... On The Squid ► Setting up Chromecast is a simple process for the most part, and the reward is worth it. Just follow along with my guide and you’ll get your Chromecast going. If you have trouble with setup you can leave a comment and I will do what I can to help.